15th Sep 2011 – Representatives Carbon Tax Plebiscite Bill 2011 - Second Reading - Read a second time

The majority voted against a motion to read the Carbon Tax Plebiscite Bill 2011 a second time.(Read more about the bill here. )

This means that the majority of members rejected the main idea of the bill and so it will not be considered any further.

Debate in Parliament

The bill called for a referendum to be held on 26 November 2011 on whether the Government should introduce the carbon pricing mechanism. It was introduced by Tony Abbott MP, the Leader of the Opposition, as a private member's bill.(Read MP Abbott's explanation of the bill here. )

Several Labor MPs described the bill as a "stunt".(Read their contributions here. )

Background to the bill

The carbon pricing mechanism is to commence on 1 July 2012.(More information on the carbon pricing mechanism and how it worked can be found on the Clean Energy Regulator’s website.) It is an emissions trading scheme that puts a price on carbon emissions. It applies to “liable entities” (a group that includes companies that emit a high level of greenhouse gases). Initially the price of carbon will be fixed by the mechanism but from 1 July 2015 the price will be set by the market.

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